The term “manure scraper” is used in this document in the way it is ordinarily used by those who work in the field to which the invention relates, even though the term is a slight misnomer. The term “manure scraper” and related terms, such as “system for scraping manure,” is used in this document to mean a device or system for scraping manure from a barn floor and moving the scrapped manure to some other location in the barn. The term “manure” as used in this document means a slurry of livestock feces and livestock urine, and possibly other liquids; typically the livestock species are domestic cattle and domestic pigs.
My U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,575 discloses a manure scraper system for a barn floor having a first elongated slot, wherein the system comprises (1) an elongated conduit having a second slot mating with the first slot so that between the slots the conduit has an upper smooth face, (2) a trolley positioned adjacent or above the conduit, and (3) a cable drive for moving the trolley in first and second opposite directions along the conduit. The trolley includes: (a) a blade arrangement extending from a body of the trolley for scraping manure from the floor into a region adjacent the slots and in front of the body in the direction of travel of the trolley as the trolley moves in the first and second directions; (b) a paddle wheel that is mounted above the floor and carries paddles that rotate about a horizontal axis for driving manure from the region into the conduit via the second slot as the trolley moves in the first and second directions; and (c) drive wheels that (i) are outside the paddle wheel and traverse a guide arrangement in the barn floor above the conduit as a result of the trolley being driven by the cable drive and (ii) are coupled with the paddle wheel to frictionally drive the paddle wheel at the same rotary speed as the wheels.
While the system specifically disclosed in my earlier patent has functioned admirably to remove manure from barns, some problems have been encountered. Because the paddle and drive wheels extend considerably above the barn floor and the drive wheels and hinges for the blades extend beyond the slot in the floor some equipment, such as tractors and skid loaders, is not able to navigate easily around the trolley and/or to clear the trolley. Also, livestock in the barn, such as cows or pigs, sometime have problems navigating around the drive and paddle wheels. In addition sometimes the slots become clogged with manure because the paddle wheel and the drive wheels rotate at the same speed that sometimes is not adequate to prevent clogging.
Another problem results from the conduit slot having strengthening members, in the form of steel plates, bearing against its side concrete walls that form the second slot. The top edges of the plates extend to the smooth face of the conduit between the mating first and second slots and on which the animals walk. Consequentially, manure covers the upper smooth face of the conduit and the top edges of the plates, causing them to become slippery. The slippery surface has caused cows to slip and some have even fallen.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system and apparatus for scraping manure.
Another object is to provide a new and improved manure scraping system and apparatus including a trolley arranged for enabling equipment and livestock in a barn including the system to more easily move about in the barn.
A further object is to provide a new and improved trolley for a manure scraping system, wherein the trolley is arranged for enabling equipment and livestock in a barn including the system to more easily move about in the barn.
An added object is to provide a new and improved manure scrapping system and trolley therefor, wherein the trolley includes a paddle wheel that rotates at higher speeds than drive wheels for the paddle wheel to prevent or reduce clogging of manure in a slot of a conduit into which the manure flows.
An additional object is to provide a new and manure scrapping system including a barn with a conduit having an elongated slot with walls including wear members that has a tendency to cause livestock in the barn to slip, wherein the conduit is arranged to reduce or eliminate such slipping.